Laadla

If ever someone is daring enough to take an intellectual approach to the history of Hindi films, it will be recorded that "Laadla" was a monumental event in the development of the array of roles enacted by any Indian actress. More than a decade after its release, it remains the most aggressive, anti-establishment, proto-feministic anti-heroine role ever written for a Hindi film. "Laadla" translates to The Beloved Son, and though the film makes it a point to focus on the tender relationship between an ailing elderly mother (Farida Jalal) and her working class son (Anil Kapoor), the film is really about one thing and one thing only: the diabolical and destructive nature of one woman, Sheetal Jetli (Sridevi), a Machiavellian corporate businesswoman who runs her company and family with an absolute iron fist. She is the final and only authority on all matters in which she is involved, and none dare challenge her convictions. Her parents (Anupam Kher and Aruna Irani) cower in her presence, as do the hundreds of employees who populate her various business enterprises. She is constantly browbeating her assistant, Kajal (Raveena Tandon), and is outright loathsome towards her company's second-in-command, Bhandari (Shakti Kapoor), a deceitful partner who wants to see her downfall. The only figure in this cadre of victims who dares to challenge her is an unassuming factory worker, Raj (Anil Kapoor), who sees her stubborn egomania as nothing more than misplaced and unchallenged narcissism. Sheetal and Raj go head-to-head on many issues, but when he does the unthinkable and subordinates her authority, she hatches a plan for revenge. The ultimate revenge, she decides, will not come from the termination of his employment, but from something else altogether: Marriage. Sheetal proposes marriage to Raj, and after a spectacularly manipulative bit of persuading involving Raj's helpless mother, he coalesces and becomes Mr. Sheetal Jetli. This, despite the fact that romance has blossomed between Raj and fellow middle-classer Kajal. The marriage between Sheetal and Raj is realized as a series of masochistic dominations designed to subordinate and break Raj's ego. Sheetal threatens him financially, sexually, and psychologically, and at times Raj is broken, but his spirits are kept up by his relationships with his mother and Kajal. Ultimately, Sheetal's thirst for revenge culminates in her order that Raj be arrested, interrogated and tortured by the police. His mother pleads on his behalf, groveling before Sheetal and imploring her to release him. Sheetal attacks her mother-in-law, causing her to lose her footing and collapse. At that moment, Raj arrives and delivers his final blow against Sheetal, and walks out on her and their mock marriage. At last defeated, Sheetal attempts suicide, but is thwarted by an attempt on her life by her corporate enemies. She is eventually saved by Raj and Kajal, and during recovery promises to start life anew. Amazingly, Raj stays married to Sheetal, who settles into domestic bliss and hands over her company to Kajal. The ending of the film is probably as convoluted as the character Sheetal herself: what is the film trying to say? That women should give up their corporate powers and settle for domesticity? Well, no, because the company is eventually handed over to the much more even-tempered Kajal (probably as a consolation prize for not getting the guy).

"Laadla" is probably best construed as a diatribe against unchecked egomania; the film scores because of the multilateral characterization of Sheetal and the powerhouse performance turned in by Sridevi. Though the film was a huge success at the box-office, it was not a favorite with the masses as it was with critics. The verdict among the intelligentsia was clear: the film works as a character study based on Sridevi's "fatally delicious performance" (Esquire). Raveena Tandon called her character, "Satan captured in female form." Newsweek Asia said, "This is the greatest departure from formula for Indian cinema since the anti-social love story "Lamhe." Kudos to Sridevi and the director Raj Kanwar for taking a real artistic risk." Filmfare called her performance, "Lady Macbeth meets Leona Helmsley: the ultimate she-devil." SCREEN said of Sridevi's performance: "Never has the Indian woman been portrayed as an unsavory demon, so evil and unforgettable is this Satanic Hell Queen." It is interesting that in the year of the record-shattering "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun!" which established the contemporary female archetype as one of mentally arrested passivity, that audiences eagerly lapped up this new wicked and uncompromising anti-heroine. This is undoubtedly testimony to the fact that audiences hold Sridevi to a much higher and diverse standard than other actors. Shah Rukh Khan had been riding the anti-hero wave with two hugely successful films ("Baazigar" and "Darr") but Sridevi was the first actress to tackle the subject with such uncompromising and unapologetic conviction. Sheetal paved the way for a string of new anti-heroines among the younger generation of actresses, including Kajol (Gupt), Juhi Chawla ("Arjun Pandit"), Manisha Koirala (Dil Se, Yugpurush) and Urmila Matondkar (Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya). Sridevi herself would return to the same genre three years later with "Judaai".

I rated this an 8. The movie was too short. Sridevi is Sridevi - an enigma, a legend, I mean once you start watching her, you dont want to stop. She is a complete treat to the eyes - fun to watch; the ultimate entertainer. Raveena doesnt have much to do in this movie. As we all know, Divya Bharati was supposed to do Sridevi's role which is odd b/c Raveena and her would have been on par in term of popularity in those days, so it's unclear if Raveena's role was trimmed down to maximize Sridevi's or if her role was really meant to be this irrelevant. Anil is a good actor as always. There are some nice songs.

This is one of my all time favourite Sridevi movies, because she is not playing the normal heroine. Sri excelles in showing how Indian women can be successful business woman and not just a woman running around trees, she leaves that to Raveena Tandon.

She looks damn good, apart from the one song in which she wears an awful silver outfit, and made an excellent job of taking over Divya Bharti's performance. As normal she works well with Anil Kapoor. The music is good, but the only draw back of this film is the ending. I think it could have been done better.

This is not the usuall run of the mill film, and it left a lot of young impressionable teenagers saying,"You understand, you better understand."

Anil Kapoor plays the sentimental Laadla, and the mind games between him and Sri are a treat to watch. This is Sridevi like you have never seen her before!

Don't really know how to explain or analyse the Sridevi factor. Sometimes I think she is intense and powerful, sometimes I think she overacts. Here I don't really know what to think or how to describe her. She was always angry, offensive, aggressive, and I still enjoyed her performance. It was a fresh change from what she was used to doing. No-one else existed in this film. The film itself is a cheap comic strip. It is terribly melodramatic, badly overdone, and is further worsened by laughably silly dialogues and poor production values (pretty much like every film of its sort at that time, particularly films made by directors like Raj Kanwar). But there is one good thing about it, and it is Sridevi as the vicious and damn beautiful career woman Sheetal Jetley. And I think that was quite the film's main purpose. Some people say Sridevi introduced the first anti-heroine in a leading role to Hindi cinema. Now that is complete nonsense as there were many other actresses who played negative leading roles before, and even if it was, it would not matter that much as this film is bad enough to be forgotten. It is one of many films filmmakers make for their favourite leading actress and only for her. In this case it's Sridevi. Many filmmakers who worship her made films for their ultimate goddess. This movie is one of them. It is a pathetic movie, but Sridevi makes it worth a watch.

Sridevi probably first introduced anti-heroine roles in Bollywood as a proud and arrogant businesswoman

The film starts off nicely with Sridevi's intro But raises a question? Anil Kapoor is poor and middle-classed but still manages to arrange to go on an airplane? Also how does he lift a heavy Farida Jalal who is bigger than him?

Direction is good Music is OK especially the Main Raju Deewana song

Anil Kapoor excels in his brilliant role as a hardworking union leader Sridevi rocks all the way Raveena Tandon is OK Anupam Kher is funny Aruna Irani makes good support Farida Jalal does well Prem Chopra is sinister Paresh Rawal is passable Mohnish Behl is alright Shakti Kapoor is passable